


Espresso Yourself

by red_crate



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Flirting, Gen, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-05-13 19:51:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14755238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/red_crate/pseuds/red_crate
Summary: Every shop has its regulars and weirdos. Tony hopes he counts as a former, not a latter.





	Espresso Yourself

**Author's Note:**

> I got[this ask](http://the-redcrate.tumblr.com/post/174215243297/for-the-troupe-mash-up-thingy-coffee-shop-au-and) and decided to expand it just a tidbit. I hope you enjoy!

 

Tony pretty much has all the gadgets he could ever want or use, and he can build himself anything else that comes to mind. That's what happens when you're a genius with the bankroll to fund your imagination. There is an espresso maker, a coffee press, and one of this machines that makes individual coffees and teas, all of that in his office at Stark Tower. 

He still prefers getting coffee at the independent shop three blocks from the Tower. Gotta support small businesses and entrepreneurship, right? Yeah, plus he enjoys the looks some of the board members give him when he comes rolling into a meeting twenty minutes late—even when he has every intention of getting there in time—with one of their white paper cups. 

He might also find one of the new baristas kind of adorable. The kid's name is Peter, and he's got an NYU lanyard clipped to his belt loops most days. It's a relief to know he hasn't been eying up jailbait. Peter has a nice laugh, and he always calls Tony  _ “Mister Stark” _ in a voice that is just a little bit awe struck. So the kid knows tech, and must have missed hearing about Tony's not-quite-so-long-ago sordid past. 

It's nice. Peter is a shiny spot in some of Tony's darker days.

When Tony ducks into the shop at four in the afternoon,  there's a pretty long line. It's a Friday which means people are gearing up to leave the city, getting their afternoon fix so they can make the drive to the Hamptons or Jersey, or wherever they're headed. Tony waits his turn, scrolling through his phone and hiding behind his sunglasses. 

Every shop has its regulars and weirdos. Tony hopes he counts as a former, not a latter. But he notices the young lady with the blue streaked brown hair at the register and cringes. Her orders are always complicated and obnoxious, even for Tony's taste. He watches as Peter patiently write out the extras, doubles, and no’s on the side of her cup, mouth tipped down as he does so. 

She's talking and talking and  _ talking.  _ Peter handed off the cup and seems to have told her the total a few seconds ago, but she isn't giving him the card clutched in her hand. 

Tony groans quietly to himself. He just wants his coffee. 

“Because I'm gay!” Peter protests suddenly, loudly.  His face is red, and he looks positively mortified when he sees how the people closest to the register paused in action and word for a second. 

The young lady says, “Ugh,  _ sorry _ ,” just as loudly before thrusting her card at him and crossing her arms. 

It's awkward, and it takes more than Tony would like to admit to keep himself from snickering. By the time he makes it to the front of the line, she's gone, and Peter is calm. 

Pulling off his sunglasses, Tony gives Peter a half-smile, the one that gets him in, and right back out of trouble. “Hello, Gay. I'm bi.” Without skipping a beat, he asks, “Can I get a large Colombian, two percent?” 

Peter's ears go red, and he shakes his head. Tony can read the “Oh my God” on his lips as he jots down the usual order. The shy, slightly bewildered smile Peter gives him when he says the total pulls that laugh right out of Tony. 

“You're cute, kid,” he says when he stuffs a ten in the tip jar, winking. “Try not to break anymore hearts this week.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Why do I keep writing coffee fics.


End file.
